For Lovers and Killers Only
by abbyfillion22
Summary: The team investigates the murder of a young billionaire related to Roy Montgomery. Meanwhile, Kate helps Alexis get through a breakup
1. Chapter 1

A dark figured pulled open the nightstand. He rummaged around inside before pulling out a wallet. He shoved it in his pocket and kept searching. He took anything valuable: a Rolex, diamond cuff links, a pair of Italian shoes from the closet. He threw everything in a duffle and hurried out of the room. Before turning out the light, he turned back to look at the man lying on the bed. The pool of blood contrasted the bright white of the silk sheets. "Such an ugly way to die for such a pretty man," the killer thought.

Kate was woken up by the soft click of the front door opening. They were lying side by side on the living room couch. Kate's head rested on his shoulder. She looked over at the clock. "Who was visiting at 2:25 in the morning?" she thought. Rick snored softly next to her. "Castle," she whispered. "I think there's someone in here." Kate knew that from the front door, you can't see the couch. Whoever was in the loft didn't know that anyone was home.

Rick shifted slightly in his sleep.

"Castle!" she hissed. He didn't wake. So much for him protecting her from the intruder. She slowly reached down to where her jacket lay. She found the cool handle of her gun.

She heard light footsteps across the wooden floors.

Kate crept over to the light switch and raised the gun as she flipped it on. "Don't move!" she yelled.

Castle's eyes flew open. In his surprise, he rolled of the couch and hit the floor with a loud thump.

"No! No! Don't shoot, it's me!" a girl's voice said in panic. It was Alexis. She had an overnight bag slung across her shoulder. Her eyes were bloodshot and her nose was bright red.

Kate lowered her gun, relieved that it was only Castle's teenage daughter. "Sorry, Alexis, I thought you were a robber."

"Alexis, what are you doing here?" Castle asked, picking himself off the floor.

Alexis sniffed. "I-I just wanted to stay here tonight."

"Is everything okay?" asked Kate. By the state Alexis was in, she already knew the answer.

"I'm fine," Alexis sighed. "I'm just tired."

"Oh, okay," said Rick. He laid back down on the couch. "Goodnight, sweetheart."

"Night," said Alexis, turning and ascending the stairs to her old room.

Kate turned to Rick. "Castle, I'm going to go talk to Alexis."

"Hmm," said Rick, already drifted back off to sleep. "She said she was fine, Kate," he muttered. He turned on his side and started snoring.

"God," Kate said, shaking her head. "Men are so clueless sometimes." She walked up to Alexis's room and knocked lightly on her door.

"Come in," said Alexis, her voice hoarse.

Kate pushed the door open. Alexis sat on her bed with her knees drawn up to her chest. Her face was streaked with tears. "Hey," said Kate, sitting down on the edge of the mattress.

"Hey," Alexis muttered.

"So what happened?" she asked softly.

Alexis glanced up at her, but then fixed her eyes on the floor.

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," said Kate quickly. She didn't want Alexis to think that she was trying to be her mom. Kate remembered how hard it was only having a dad when she wanted to talk about girl things.

"Marcus dumped me," Alexis said, wiping her eyes on her jacket sleeve. "He's the boy I have been dating since Thanksgiving."

"Oh, honey, I'm sorry," said Kate sympathetically. "Did he tell you why?"

Alexis sobbed. "He-he was sleeping with my roommate. And he didn't want to have to sneak around behind my back anymore, so he dumped me. Right in front of his new girlfriend," she cried. "It was the most humiliating experience of my life."

Kate went into her bathroom to get tissues. "I'm sorry," she said, giving her a hug. "I know how hard it is."

Alexis dried her eyes. "I thought I loved him."

"You know what," said Kate, "you're better off without him. He didn't deserve your time. And if that jackass couldn't see how great you are, it's his loss."

Alexis grinned. "Thanks, Beckett."

"No problem, kiddo," she said standing up. "C'mon, let's go have some ice cream." She helped Alexis to her feet and they walked out of the room where they ran into Castle. He was standing right outside the doorway, his face pressed to the wall. "Castle!" Kate scolded, smacking him in the arm.

"Daddy!" cried Alexis. "Were you listening the whole time?!"

Castle ignored his daughter. "Kate, give me your gun. I'm gonna shoot that son of a bitch that did this to you."

Alexis shook her head, "No, Daddy it's fine. Marcus isn't worth your bullet."

Castle hopped up and down on the balls of his feet, fully awake now. "No one hurts my baby and gets away with it."

Kate laid a hand on Rick's shoulder. "Castle, calm down. We're going to make ice cream sundaes."

He stopped bouncing. "Okay, but after I have my ice cream, I'm going to hunt that kid down-"

"And do what?" taunted Alexis. "You don't have a gun."

Kate stuck her tongue out at him.

"Imma choke him out with his own scarf," said Castle, punching the air.

Kate patted him on the back and stepped around him, "You do that, Kitten."


	2. Chapter 2

Castle sprayed a huge mountain of whipped cream on top of his ice cream and added a bright red cherry to the very top.

"Do you want some ice cream with that?" joked Kate, taking the can and spraying some into her mouth.

Rick stole the can back and sprayed a huge glob into his own mouth.

Alexis grimaced. "Gross. I'm not using that now." She put another scoop of rocky road into her bowl. She then scraped half of her dad's whipped cream out of his bowl and put it in hers.

Kate laughed. She really loved Rick's family. She was closer to them than her own family at this point. She was just taking her first bite of her sundae when her phone rang. "Beckett," she answered. "Be right there." She hung up.

"Where is it?" Rick asked, grabbing both of their coats.

"79th Street, Upper East Side," she said, holstering her gun.

Alexis stirred her ice cream. "I'll see you next week then," she said solemnly.

"I wish we could stay sweetie, but we really need to get to this body before the mob does," said Rick, kissing his daughter.

"Just because it's Upper East Side doesn't make it a mob hit," said Beckett.

"That's what you said last time," he retorted.

"How about we go shopping together after we wrap the case up?" Kate asked Alexis. "You'll forget all about Marcus."

"So that's what this guy's name is!" Castle exclaimed. "I'm going to find this kid."

"That sounds like fun," said Alexis, brightening up, "Oh, and Beckett? Make sure you don't give my dad a gun."

Kate smiled. "Never."

"I'll bet you anything that this is a mob hit," said Castle as they walked up the stairs to the crime scene.

"Really, Castle, anything? Are you that confident in yourself?" asked Beckett.

"I'll buy you any gun you want if I'm wrong," said Castle, knowing that she wouldn't be able to resist a new piece.

They stopped outside the door. Kate bit her lip, trying not to smile. "Deal." She walked briskly down the hall.

Castle hurried after her. "And what if I win?"

"Ice cubes," she said seductively.

"Ooh," he laughed mischievously, "it is so on."

They ducked under the police tape and entered the apartment. It was an expensively decorated loft, with Victorian furniture and high quality electronics scattered everywhere. There was a floor to ceiling bookcase covering an entire wall on one end of the room.

Doctor Lanie Parrish was bent over the victim, hard at work.

"Hey, Lanie, what do we have?" asked Beckett.

"This is Alexander Montgomery, age 26, billionaire," said Lanie. The victim was handsome black male with blue eyes. He wore a blue collared button down under a Ralph Lauren sweater and expensive leather shoes. He would have been nice looking if not for the slashes that lined his face. The slashes resembled a heart around his face, but with an X through it. "A crazy lover, my guess," said Lanie, gesturing to the cuts.

"Not a mob hit?" Castle whined.

Beckett smirked. "Looks like you're buying me a new gun."

"What?" asked Lanie.

"Don't worry about it," said Castle. "This case is still young, there is still a chance he could be a mobster."

Beckett put her hands on her hips and stepped close to him. "He's obviously *not* a mobster, Castle, look at him!"

"Yeah," resigned Castle, "But without knowing you, I wouldn't say you were a cop either."

"Okay, fine, let's just say this guy is a mobster," said Beckett, humoring him. "Why would the mob carve a heart and an X into his face before killing him?"

"Maybe he was having an affair with the Godfather's wife," said Castle.

"It's not a mob hit, Castle," said Beckett.

"Actually," interrupted Lanie, "it could be."

Beckett turned to her. "Excuse me?"

Lanie put her hands up in surrender. "Sorry, girl. But I'm just saying, you shouldn't rule it out. This guy was the heir to a huge electronic company, a company known to supply spyware to unnamed groups."

"Ha! I'm still in it!" said Castle.

"That explains all of the gadgets around the house," said Beckett.

"Oh, and you should know that the killer took his watch and a pair of shoes, that's all that we know was taken so far," said Lanie.

"How do you know that?" asked Beckett.

"He had insurance on them," said Lanie. "Very expensive one of a kind Rolex and Italian imported shoes."

"Expensive shoes," muttered Castle.

"I'll say," said Lanie. "Guess how much they cost."

"$500," Beckett guessed.

Castle scoffed. "Italian imported? Please, Beckett. If they're enough to get insurance for and they're one of a kind, I'm going to go with… $7,800?"

Lanie raised an eyebrow. "Exactly." She was impressed.

"I'm sorry, did you just say exactly?" asked Castle, putting a hand to his ear.

"Exactly," repeated Lanie.

"If anyone tries to sell them online, they shouldn't be too hard to find. How many pairs of $8,000 shoes can be in New York?" said Beckett, taking a file from a nearby uniform.

"You'd be surprised," said Castle.

"Here's something more surprising," said Beckett, pulling a paper from the case file. "Alexander Montgomery is the nephew of Captain Roy Montgomery."

"Mob hit," Castle coughed.


	3. Chapter 3

Beckett leaned up against the wall, trying to figure the situation out. "It doesn't make sense," she told Castle. "Montgomery's death was supposed to protect the rest of his family."

"No one said that Alexander's death had anything to do with Roy," Castle reasoned.

"What else would be the reason?" she asked. She crossed her arms and placed her chin in her hand, her thinking position.

"Maybe, and I'm just spit-balling here, maybe this guy was involved with the mob, just like his uncle, he fell in love with the don's daughter. When the truth came out about Roy Montgomery, Alexander was targeted. He was safe for a while because of his relationship with the daughter, but once he broke up with her, he was dead meat… literally," said Castle. "Thus the X through the heart."

"That's some theory, Castle, but we have not proof," said Beckett. "We'd need to find anyone he was romantically involved with."

"Then let's do that," said Castle. "We'll ask his coworkers and friends who he was sleeping with." He took the 'Friends & Family' paper out of the file. On the top of the list was the name 'Haley Woods'. "Haley Woods, age 24, girlfriend. That's the only female on his friends list." Included in the file was a picture of a pretty blond girl with the Alexander. There was no other personal information about her.

"We need to find her. Where does she live?" asked Beckett.

Castle frowned. "She lives here with him."

Beckett glanced around. "So now the question is where is she now?"

Castle handed her the file and walked over to the bookcase. There was a framed photo of Haley Woods with her arm around a middle aged man with the same eyes as her. "With her father, the don," said Castle, holding up the photo.

"Let's get face match on that guy," Beckett instructed a uniform.

"You got it," the cop said, hurrying away with the photo.

Castle and Beckett stood in silence for a moment, staring at each other. "Better go make some ice cubes," he whispered to her.

"We still don't know if it's the mob or not, Castle, let's not jump to conclusions," she said.

The cop approached them again. "Detective Ryan says that his name is Cedric Woods. He just got out of prison last month on bail."

"Charges?" asked Beckett.

"Premeditated murder," said the cop. "Three counts."

"Where does he work?" asked Castle.

"He's a freelance."

Castle grinned at Beckett. "Of *course* he is."

"Thanks," Beckett dismissed the cop.

"Freelance is just another name for 'I don't have a job because I make my money in the mafia'," he prodded Beckett.

"He could just be a freelance romance novelist whose daughter's boyfriend broke up with her so he carved a heart in the guy's face," said Beckett. Her eyes grew wide. "Sounds a bit like you, doesn't it, Castle? With Alexis's boyfriend, I mean."

Castle waved a hand. "I would never carve a heart in Marcus. He would get way worse."

Beckett smirked. "Your mom was right; you could be a serial killer."


	4. Chapter 4

Castle and Beckett watched Cedric Woods in the interrogation room from behind the mirror. He was a heavy man Italian man with a comb-over. He wore an expensive suit and sat straight in his chair, staring into the mirror. He either really liked looking at himself, or was trying to see whoever was behind the mirror.

"What do you think?" asked Castle. "Is he the mobster type?"

"I'm not going to judge by his looks, Castle," said Beckett. "Like you said, if you didn't know me, you wouldn't say I was a cop."

"But, c'mon, Beckett, he has three counts of premeditated murder, and he has enough money from being a freelance to bail himself out," Castle pleaded, "tell me that doesn't scream, 'mafia'!"

Woods stood up from his chair and began pacing the room, stopping to examine the surveillance cameras.

Beckett shook her head. "Don't forget that he owns a big company," she showed him Woods' background information.

"Then why would he need to be a freelance if he would make plenty of money from his company? It's just a front to cover up the fact that he's involved with the mob," said Castle, pointing to Woods.

"How is a front?" Beckett asked curiously.

"Think about it," Castle began. "His company pays him millions according to his file. He could live ten lives comfortably off of his current salary. So why does he need to take menial jobs as a freelance? Because as a mobster, he needs to travel a lot and he needs to be places that he can't tell other people about. So when people ask, he tells them that he got called in for a different job. That way, he can disappear for days without questioning. And during that time, he's shooting up the town with his mob buddies," Castle concluded dramatically.

Beckett smiled and put her hands on her hips. "Wow, that's some theory," she said, taking a step closer to him. "You must really, really want those ice cubes," she said seductively, putting her arms around him.

"So badly," he whispered, closing his eyes and pulling her close for a kiss.

There was a loud bang on the mirror and they jumped apart in surprise. Woods was standing at the window, knocking.

"Are you going to interrogate me or what?" asked Woods.

Castle banged on the mirror. Woods just stood there, staring. Castle went to kiss Beckett again, but she pushed him away.

"I'm not going to make out with you with him staring at us," she told him.

"He can't really see us, Kate," he told her.

She grimaced, looking back at Woods. "I know, but it's kinda creepy." She opened the interrogation room door and gestured for him to get inside. He stood for a minute, disappointed, but then walked in.

"I hate you already, man," he told Woods as he sat down.

"I'm used to it," said Woods.

"So, Mr. Woods, where were you between ten and twelve last night?" asked Beckett, folding her hands on the table.

Woods hesitated. "I was at the gym."

Castle scoffed. "Like hell you were."

Beckett eyed Woods curiously. "You work out at the gym at midnight?"

He laughed. "Oh, no of course not, I was working the night shift… cleaning up."

"Can you provide an alibi?" asked Beckett.

Woods stared at her. "You're a detective?" he asked avoiding the question.

She glanced at Castle. "Yes."

"Wow," said Woods, "You just don't look like a detective."

Beckett leaned forward. "Tell me, Mr. Woods, what do I look like I do?"

Woods shrugged. "I dunno, a lawyer, maybe a teacher… or maybe a model," he winked at her.

Castle smacked his hand down on the table and stood up, towering over him. Beckett grabbed his arm and he slowly sat back down.

"Do you want to know what I think *you* look like, Mr. Woods?" Beckett said calmly.

He nodded. "Please, amuse me, detective."

Beckett stood up. "You look like a liar, a scumbag, and a murderer," she glowered at him.

Woods gave her a questioning look. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about you killing your daughter's boyfriend, Alexander Montgomery," she said.

Woods' eyes grew wide. "Alex is dead?!"

"Don't play dumb, Woods," said Castle.

"Why the hell would I kill Haley's boyfriend?" Woods said incredulously.

"Hmm, I don't know," said Castle fake-thoughtfully, "maybe because you both were involved in the mob?"

Woods paused. "What?"

"Mr. Woods, did you know who Alex Montgomery's uncle was?" said Beckett.

Woods didn't answer.

"Captain Roy Montgomery," said Beckett. "He was involved with a police scandal involving capturing mobsters for ransom."

"So?" said Woods.

"So the mob swore to kill off Montgomery's family because he knew too much," said Castle. "And considering you're in the mob, you wanted him dead so the information never got out."

"How do you know I'm in the mob?" said Woods.

Beckett and Castle glanced at each other.

Woods leaned back in his chair. "Exactly, you don't know. So you have nothing on me. But I will give you this: I didn't kill Alexander Montgomery, but I know that a certain friend of mine had really hated that boy. He went to Montgomery yesterday to discuss business with him, when he came back, he was pissed off. He was throwing chairs and smashing plates and cursing Alexander and swearing vengeance."

"And who is this friend of yours?" asked Beckett.

Woods smirked but didn't say anything.

"Mr. Woods, I can have you locked up for withholding information," she warned him.

"And considering you don't know what that information is, you don't have anything. And you won't be any closer to catching your killer. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go tell my daughter that her boyfriend is dead," said Woods, standing up. "I think we're done here, eh, detective?"

Beckett stared at the floor.

"Thought so," said Woods, saluting them as he exited.


	5. Chapter 5

"That son of a bitch," said Castle after Woods had left.

Beckett rubbed her forehead. "He's right though, we have nothing on him, just speculation. We need to find out where he was during the time of death and if anyone saw him."

"Do you really think that Woods would kill his daughter's boyfriend though?" asked Castle.

"Would you?" said Beckett.

"If he hurt my daughter? Hell yeah. A father would do anything for his daughter," said Castle. His phone vibrated in his back pocket. It was a text from Alexis.

"Daddy, can u come home?"

Castle must have looked worried, because Beckett said, "Go ahead, I can handle the case until you get back. I'll let you know if I find anything."

He grinned at her. "Thanks Kate, I might stop by your apartment later tonight." He folded his coat over his arm and gave her a peck on the cheek. "Love you." He hurried out of the room.

"Love you too," she said to herself. She sighed and went to her desk to set up the murder board.

She hung the picture of the handsome Alexander Montgomery under "victims". She noticed some of Roy's features on Alexander; they both had the same large lips and jawbone. She wondered how close the two were. Roy had never mentioned Alexander, but the Captain always tried to keep his personal life out of his work. She was suddenly filled with sadness, thinking about how Roy had sacrificed himself to protect her and his family. Yet, it seemed like his actions were in vain. She wasn't safe after his death, and now, apparently, his family wasn't either. It might be just a matter of time before Roy's wife and kids are targeted. She couldn't send a police guard for them until she was sure that Alexander's death was connected to the mob.

Next, she hung Cedric Woods's mug shot under "suspects" along with a photo of Haley Woods under his. She drew an arrow from Cedric to a question mark, giving a label to his unnamed friend that he had mentioned.

Beckett examined the picture of Haley Woods. She was a beautiful young socialite with long brown hair and huge green eyes. It was a professional photo taken next to a small stream and woods. She wore a white sundress and was leaning up against a huge boulder, smiling at the camera with perfectly whitened teeth.

Beckett noticed something odd on her wrist. It looked out of place, because it was so large and Haley's wrist was so tiny. It was a pretty gold watch. It was definitely a men's watch, she could tell by the size and shape of it. When she looked closer, Beckett could just make out the Rolex logo on the face. Could it be the same watch that was taken from Alexander's apartment?

She sent the photo to Ryan to see if the watch was a match, and sure enough, it was. Perhaps Haley had taken a liking to Alexander's watch and had decided to take it as a keepsake after she had killed him? Beckett couldn't imagine such a delicate-looking young lady murdering her boyfriend in such a harsh way, but it was probable. They were dating, and if he had broken up with her, that might explain the heart carved into his face.

Looks were definitely deceiving, she thought, moving Haley's photo ahead of her father's on the suspect list.

When Castle opened the door of the loft, he found Alexis curled up on the couch. Her eyes were red and she clutched a carton of Rocky Road to her chest. She was sitting in the dark; The Notebook was playing on the flat screen.

Castle flipped the light on and she squinted, her eyes trying to adjust. "Hey, pumpkin," he said gently.

"Hey," she sniffed.

He sat down next to her. "What's up?"

Alexis glared at him. He knew very well what was up.

He reached over her and took her bowl and set it down on the coffee table. "You can't go on like this, Alexis. You need to do something, get your mind off of Marcus."

She wiped her nose on her sleeve. "I can't, Daddy."

Castle wrapped his arms around his daughter. "Yes you can."

"I loved him," she said in an accusatory tone. "If you and Beckett broke up, would you be able to get over it?"

Castle thought for a moment, realizing that Alexis was right. "No, I would never get over it. Just one day, you wake up and it's not the first thing you think about, and that's when you'll know that you'll be okay carrying the weight with you."

Alexis gave him a small smile. "Daddy, would you really kill Marcus for me?"

He gave her a squeeze. "I would. I would do anything for you, Alexis. You mean the world to me, and when you hurt, I do too."

"Thanks, Daddy," said Alexis. "Can I have my ice cream back?" she said, reaching for the bowl.

Castle stood up quickly, hiding the carton behind his back. "Nope, this is mine now," he said, taking a huge bite. As he did, something hit him. "It's mine now," he muttered.

"What?" asked Alexis.

"I need to make a call," he said, setting the Ben & Jerry's down and quickly leaving the room. He turned back to his daughter. "Don't' touch that!" he warned her. He dialed Kate and waited impatiently for her to pick up.

"Beckett," she answered.

"Hey it's me," he said.

"Oh, hey you," she said. "What's up?"

"I just realized something about the case," he told her. "Cedric Woods wouldn't have killed Alexander. He's a billionaire, so why would a billionaire need to steal someone's shoes and watch? He can easily buy his own if he wanted to."

"I know, I thought about that too," she said. "I found something else too. In the photo of Haley, she's wearing Alexander's Rolex, the same one that was stolen, so I'm thinking that maybe she took it with her after killing him."

"Haley probably wore that watch a lot, since it was in her photo," said Castle. "She wouldn't sell it because it has sentimental value. So we can rule out waiting for it to be hawked to track her. She's a well known socialite in New York, so how hard can it really be to find her? I can guarantee that she'll show up on page six in the next three days."

"Do you know of any big events happening soon?" asked Beckett. "Ones that she would be likely to attend?"

Castle checked his emails. He was always getting invitations to attend charity events, debutantes, and balls. He opened the most recent one. "There's a charity horse show benefiting children with special needs, invitation only."

"Then that's where we'll find Haley Woods."

"I'll RSVP us," said Castle.

"And I'll find out everything I can about Haley," said Beckett. "Are you still going to come by my place tonight?"

"I don't think so," he said sadly, "Alexis is really broken up right now."

"Don't let her eat any ice cream," warned Kate, "A girl can gain ten pounds off of that stuff after a breakup."

"She's not, not anymore," he said turning to look at Alexis who was reaching for the carton. "Hey!" he shouted at her, "PUT. THAT. DOWN!"

Alexis grudgingly set the ice cream back down, pouting.

Kate laughed. "Poor thing."

"Yeah, well, I'm glad she hasn't done anything crazy yet; like chop her all hair off or cut a heart in Marcus's face," said Castle.


	6. Chapter 6

Rick opened the Ferrari door and offered Kate his hand, helping her out. She wore five inch cream Steve Madden heels with a royal blue sundress and a floppy hat. Her Ray Ban aviators shielded her eyes from the bright sunlight of the summer afternoon. Rick had on a navy Ralph Lauren polo shirt that made his eyes a striking shade of sapphire. They were both dressed to blend in with the huge crowd of socialites, politicians, and donors at the horse show.

Young men and women walked past leading thoroughbred horses with fancy names. Journalists stood milling about the yard, talking to attendees and taking photos. Beautiful people in even prettier clothes held champagne and chatted, women kissing each other on the cheek in greeting, men pretending to be enjoying themselves.

Rick spotted Mayor Walden talking to a reporter. "Rob!" he said, shaking the mayor's hand.

"Great to see you Rick!" said Mayor Walden. He turned to Kate. "Who is this lovely lady?"

"This is Detective Kate Beckett," Rick introduced her.

The mayor thought for a moment, "Oh, yes, Kate Beckett, I almost didn't recognize you!" They shook hands. "You've changed so much since we played poker together last."

Kate nodded, "It's always a pleasure to see you, Mayor Walden."

"So what brings you two here?" asked Walden.

"We're actually looking for a suspect," said Castle. "Haley Woods, daughter of Cedric Woods."

"Oh, yes! Her father is a very generous donor. She's actually riding in the show today," said Walden.

"Any idea where we could find her?" asked Beckett, accepting champagne from a waiter.

"All of the riders are in the stables right now, prepping their horses," said Walden. He spotted someone over their shoulders. "Oh, look, there's Miss Woods right now."

The girl emerged from the stables with a black stallion. It was a beautiful horse, athletic and perfectly groomed, like his owner. Haley held her riding helmet under her right arm, while leading her horse with the other.

Walden, Castle, and Beckett approached the girl. "Miss Woods, a pleasure to see you again. I haven't seen you since your debutante!" said the mayor.

Haley shook his hand, "So nice to see you, Mayor Walden." She looked at Kate and Rick.

"Miss Woods, this is Detective Beckett and Richard Castle, I believe that they came here to speak with you," said Walden.

"Pleasure," said Haley, shaking both of their hands. She was a charming girl, very polished and classy. She wore minimal makeup, but she was still pretty. Her hair was tied back in a low ponytail that reached her waist. You could tell by looking at her that she came from old money.

"Is there anywhere we can go to talk privately?" asked Beckett.

Haley nodded. "Of course," she said. "I have to get ready right now, but I can prep and talk at the same time. That is, if you don't mind the stables."

"Not at all," said Beckett. They followed Haley and her horse to the stalls. She tied the stallion to a post and began brushing him. "What's your horse's name?" asked Beckett.

"Chance DeLawrence of Cambridge the Fourth," Haley responded.

"That's a mouthful," said Castle, swatting a fly from his face. Truth be told, horses scared the hell out of him. They were so big and one kick alone could kill him. He poked a finger at one of the slumbering horses in the stalls. It snapped at him and he jerked his finger back.

"He's gorgeous," marveled Beckett, examining the creature.

"Thank you," said Haley. "Do you ride?"

Beckett nodded. "I used to when I was a teenager. "

Haley lifted Chance's leg to check his hooves. "We should go riding after the show. I have another horse back in the trailer you could borrow."

Castle cleared his throat. He couldn't wait to get out of the stables. It smelled too much like nature.

"Oh, right," said Beckett, getting back to business. "Haley, I assume that your father told you about your boyfriend, Alexander Montgomery?"

Haley paused, staring at the ground. "Yes, he did."

"Is it true that you broke up last week?" asked Castle.

Haley stared at him. "Yes, I broke up with him."

"Haley," said Beckett gently, "I hate to ask this, but where were you between ten and twelve on Monday night?"

"This Monday? I was at home," said Haley, proceeding to groom her horse.

"Can anyone verify that?" asked Beckett.

"My doorman on Madison Avenue should be able to," said Haley.

"What were you doing on Madison?" asked Castle. "Don't you live with Alexander?"

Haley hesitated. "Off and on. Things were complicated between me and Alex for the past few months. The only reason we stayed together for so long was for publicity."

"How was it complicated?" asked Beckett.

Haley stared at her boots.

"Haley, I know it's hard to talk about him, but we need all of the information we can to catch Alex's murderer," said Beckett.

She stroked Chance's muzzle. "He…" her voice broke. "He was gay."

Castle cocked his head. "Say what now?"

"He was half in the closet, his father would never approve of Alex being gay. His family is very conservative. I came home one day and he was with a man. He begged me to stay with him. He told me that his father would disown him if he ever found out. We stayed together for a few more months before I found another place to live on Madison. For all the public knew, we were still living together," she said solemnly.

Mentally, Beckett added Alex's father and lover to the list of suspects. "Do you know the name of the man Alex was with?" she asked.

"Yes. He was one of Alex's employees, Connor Davenport," Haley replied.

"Thank you, you've been very helpful," said Beckett.

"Pleased to help," said Haley. "Will you let me know when you catch Alex's killer?"

"Of course," said Beckett.

"Enjoy the show," said Castle, patting Chance on the back. The horse stomped his foot, making Castle jump. Beckett smirked at him, amused to see him squirm because of the harmless animal. He smoothed his shirt and he and Kate walked back to the party.

"She was nice," said Kate.

"She was *shifty*," said Castle.

"Why?"

"She was way too helpful."

"So?"

"Doesn't finding out that your boyfriend's been cheating on you with a *man* seem like enough of a motive to kill?" said Castle.

"Can you honestly see that sweet girl cutting up someone's face?" said Beckett, shooting him a look.

"No, but like I've been saying-"

"I know, I know," interrupted Kate, "I don't look like a cop either."

"Exactly."

"Still think this is a mob hit?"

"Sadly, no. Looks like I'm buying you a new gun."

She glanced over at him. "There's still hope."


	7. Chapter 7

Connor Davenport sat in front of them in the interrogation room. He had a Hamptons look about him; boat shoes, jeans, and a sweater, despite the fact that it was the middle of summer. Connor had black framed glasses that made him appear intelligent. He wore a braided leather bracelet on his left wrist, which he was twisting nervously. He tapped his foot impatiently as Beckett reviewed his file.

"Mr. Davenport, you were Alexander Montgomery's employee, correct?" asked Beckett.

"Yes," he said.

"And is it true that you two were seeing each other outside of work?"

"No!" said Connor defensively.

"Don't pretend, Davenport, Montgomery's ex-girlfriend, Haley Woods, told us that she had caught the two of you together. Now, I'm not interested in your company's relationship policy, I just want the truth so we can solve this case," said Beckett.

"All right," Connor sighed, "we were sleeping together, what does that have to do with his murder?"

"She never said that Alexander was murdered, how did you know that?" said Castle suspiciously.

Connor twisted his bracelet and licked his lips. "I, uh, I read about it in the papers."

Beckett stood up, towering over him. "That's a lie, the press doesn't know about his death yet, we made sure of it. How did you know he was murdered?"

"Gossip spreads quickly on the East Side," said Connor. "Especially when it's involving a young millionaire like Alex."

"Okay, let's just say that you heard it through the grapevine," said Beckett. She yanked up the right sleeve of his sweater, revealing a gold Rolex. "How do you explain how you got Alexander's Rolex? The same Rolex that was taken from his apartment the night of his murder."

Connor glanced down at it. "He gave it to me," he said. "We had matching ones, check the product number if you want. Alex never wore his, because Haley always had it." He unclasped the watch and handed it to Castle.

Castle left the room to run the number engraved in tiny print on the back of the watch. "They're different," said Castle. "Montgomery did, in fact, purchase two of them, same design. It was on his credit card history."

"Connor, Cedric Woods said that a friend of his was really angry at Montgomery. He said that he went to his office to discuss something with him, and they had an argument," said Beckett. "Did you see who he was arguing with?"

"Yeah," said Connor, "his dad came by his office on Sunday."

Beckett and Castle glanced at each other.

"Alex and I decided that it was time to tell his dad that he was gay. His dad got really angry. I was sitting outside of Alex's office when he told his old man. He started yelling at Alex, cursing him. He told him to straighten out or else. Then, he stormed out."

"So," said Castle in front of the murder board. "Alex's dad threatened him after coming out to him. Being the conservative man that he is, he couldn't have a gay son, especially one that was in the public eye."

Beckett hung the photo of the dad, Ray Montgomery, under the suspect list. "So he snuck into his apartment at night, shot and killed him. That explains the heart and X through his face, he didn't want his son to love a man."

"That still doesn't explain the stolen watch and shoes," said Castle.

"Maybe he took it because it connected his son to Connor," said Beckett.

"And the shoes?"

"Maybe he just liked them, I don't know," said Beckett. "They were very expensive shoes."

"Not for a Montgomery. He could easily buy his own pair if he really wanted to."

"I guess we'll find out as soon as we catch him."

They entered the skyscraper with the name "Montgomery Electronics" plastered across the front in large silver letters. Beckett showed her badge to the front desk and they were escorted to the elevator. They rode the elevator up to the 104th floor where they were told to step through a metal detector before being allowed to see Montgomery. A young female secretary opened the huge oak doors of Montgomery's office. "Mr. Montgomery, Detective Beckett and Mr. Castle wish to speak to you."

A spitting image of Roy Montgomery sat behind a large wooden desk, signing papers. His brother was a little taller than him, but other than that, Ray and Roy Montgomery were identical. "I assume you're here to talk about my son," he said, not looking up from his work.

Beckett sat down in the armchair in front of the desk. "Yes. We actually have a very solid lead on your son's killer."

Montgomery stopped writing and glanced up at her. "Is that so?" he said nonchalantly.

"Yes," said Castle. "A *very* solid lead."

"Mr. Montgomery, can you tell us where you were between ten and twelve o'clock on Monday night?"

Montgomery adjusted his tie. "I was at home… with my wife."

"Can you provide an alibi?" asked Beckett.

"You can ask my wife," said Montgomery.

"An alibi not related to you, because according to the law, your wife does not have to testify against you in federal court," recited Beckett.

"We have a doorman," he said, shifting in his seat, "he probably saw me."

Castle nodded. "We've already spoken to your doorman and he did see you that night."

"Oh really?"

"He saw you getting home around 12:30," said Beckett.

"I was, uh, working late," said Montgomery.

"I thought you said you were at home with your wife," said Castle.

"Mr. Montgomery, your building security guard informed us that you left the office around 9:45. You got home at 12:30, within the timeframe of Alexander's murder," said Beckett.

"Are you accusing me of my son's death?" said Montgomery, leaning forward.

"The evidence is stacked against you; you have a clear motive for killing him. His lover heard you two fighting the afternoon of his death. You couldn't have a son that was gay, so you got rid of him," said Beckett, raising her voice.

"Look, I didn't kill Alexander-"

"Then why did you lie to me about where you were?"

"Because I'm having an affair with my secretary. I stayed late at the office with her on Monday night," said Montgomery.

"Why were you and Alexander fighting then?" asked Castle.

Montgomery sighed and sat back in his chair, rubbing his eyes. "Alex… he got involved with a lot of bad people."

"What kind of people?" asked Beckett.

"The mafia. When my brother, Roy, was involved with kidnapping mobsters for ransom, Alexander joined the mob to keep our family safe. He knew that we would be targeted because of Roy. They wanted revenge, but since Alex helped them so much; giving them spyware and weapons, we were safe. Now that he's gone, there's nothing stopping them from coming after me and my wife."

Beckett stared at him, trying to read his face.

"So your fight had nothing to do with Alex being gay," stated Castle.

"Alex is gay?!" Montgomery stood up.

Beckett glanced at Castle. "We thought you knew. His lover told us that that's why Alex had wanted to talk to you, to tell you that he was gay."

Montgomery shook his head. "No, Alex is *not* gay. He's engaged to Haley Woods!"

"Haley said that they broke up," said Beckett.

"They definitely didn't break up," said Montgomery. "I just helped Alex buy Haley their engagement ring on Sunday morning!"

Beckett held her hand between them and Montgomery so she could speak privately with Castle. "Do you think he's telling the truth?" she whispered.

"It's probable, the pieces of his story fit."

"Why would Haley say that they were broken up if they had just gotten engaged?"

"Maybe Haley said no," said Castle.

"And she moved out to have time to think, that's why she was at her apartment on Madison," finished Beckett.

"Why would she say no though?"

"She had caught Alex with Connor, so Alex might have proposed to her to say he was sorry and to convince her that he was actually straight-"

"-So she wouldn't go around telling people," Castle nodded.

"Because if his father found out, then he wouldn't inherit the company," said Beckett.

Montgomery waved to get their attention. "Can I go now?" he asked.

Castle shushed him.

"After realizing that Alex had proposed to Haley, Connor Davenport grew jealous. He shot and killed Alex then sliced a heart and X through his face," said Beckett.

"And when he was done, he took Alex's matching Rolex to symbolize the end of their relationship," said Castle. "And he took his shoes to sell, since he wouldn't be working under Alex anymore."

Beckett grinned. "It all fits! Connor Davenport is his lover's killer."


	8. Chapter 8

Beckett and Castle approached Connor Davenport's desk where he sat hunched over a laptop, entering numbers into a spreadsheet.

"Connor Davenport," said Beckett, showing her NYPD badge.

Connor looked up at them, pushing his glasses higher up his nose. "Yes?"

"You're under arrest for the murder of Alexander Montgomery," said Castle and Beckett simultaneously. Beckett glared at him for a moment before refocusing her attention on the perp.

Connor only nodded and stood up. Beckett latched the cuffs onto him and led him away.

"I loved him, you know," said Connor. "I loved him, and he turned his back on me."

Castle stared at him as he pressed the down button next to the elevator.

"He was ashamed of being with me. And when he proposed to that rich bitch, Haley, it crushed me. He didn't want to be with me, and she didn't want to be with him."

"Maybe you guys should have *talked* about it instead of killing him," said Castle, stepping into the elevator.

"No, no," said Connor, shaking his head at the floor. "He had to pay. I wanted Alex to feel the same pain that he caused me. You have no idea what it's like to have your heart broken like that. I hope it never happens to you."

Castle nodded, avoiding Beckett's gaze.

"Let's go," said Beckett, pushing Davenport forward when the doors slid open on the ground floor.

He obliged, walking silently to the car.

Back at the precinct, Beckett was filling out paperwork while Castle stared at her, his chin in his hand.

"What?" she said.

"Nothing, I was just thinking about Alexis, how I can help her get over her breakup," said Castle, "that's all."

"Send her on a trip to India or something, that's what Julia Roberts does in Eat Pray Love," joked Beckett.

"I am *not* sending my baby to India."

Beckett set her pen down on top of her stack of papers. "All right then, give her your credit card for our shopping trip this afternoon. Once she buys a new pair of shoes she'll forget all about it."

"C'mon, a pair of shoes?" said Castle. "That's all it takes?"

"The right pair can work wonders, Castle."

"So if I broke up with you, all it would take would be a new pair of boots for you to get over me?"

"Pretty much," Beckett smirked at him when his face fell. "I'm just kidding, Rick." She leaned over her desk and gave him a kiss. "By the way, you owe me a new gun."

"No way, the mob was still involved in the case, you owe me ice cubes tonight!" said Castle, grinning mischievously.

"The mob didn't kill him personally!"

"So, it's a domino effect here, Kate! His death was a result of the mob!"

Beckett paused. "We're never going to agree on the winner, are we?"

"So neither of us wins," said Castle.

"Or," Beckett rolled closer to him in her chair, "both of us do," she whispered in his ear.

His eyes grew wide as he handed her his credit card. "Buy whatever you want."

"I'll go make some ice," she said, hurrying off.


End file.
